Finger-print stand



E. L. BURWELL.

FINGER PRINT STAND APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 192]- 1,404,432, I Patented Jan. 24,1922,

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E. L. BURWELL.

FINGER PRINT STAND.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12. I92 1.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

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FINGER PRINT STAND.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI2.1921.

Patented Jail. 24, 1922.

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EARL L. BURWELL, OF WARSAW, INDIANA.

FINGER-PRINT STAND.

application filed May 12,

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EARL L. BURwnLL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Warsaw, in the county of Kosciusko and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Finger-Print Stands; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the. art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in devices for obtaining finger prints and is useful for police department, detective agencies and commercial establishments using finger prints in connectionwith their business as a safeguard for necessary detection.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple, compact and efiicient device which may be used advantageously when necessary but may be stored in a small space when not in use.

A further object is to provide novel means for holding a sheet of paper or card while the impressions are being made thereon.

A still further object is to provide a well balanced device in which an imprint table and an inking table extend oppositely from a single supporting standard.

With the foregoing and minor objects in view the invention resides in the novel construction and association of parts herein described and claimed, the descriptive matter being supplemented by the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a finger print stand constructed in accordance with my invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the block to which the carrying arms of the inking table and impression table are pivoted.

Figure 4.- is a vertical sectional view partly in elevation.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the device with the inking and impression tables folded.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

1921. Serial No. 468,873.

view of a portion of the guard. looki'ig upwardly under the same. I i

F igure 11 is a perspective view of the carrying arm for the inking table.

In the drawings above briefly described, the numeral 1 designates an appropriate base from which a standard 2 rises, said standard being preferably formed of upper and lower telescopic sections 3 and 4 respectively, and a set screw 5 for holding them in fixed relation with each other after the height of the standard has been adjusted in the required manner. While the standard 2 may be secured to the base 1 in an appropriate manner, I have shown said base provided with a socket 6 in which the lower end of the standard is detachably secured by set screws 7. The upper end of the standard section 3 is here shown in the form of an ornamental head 8 having a central upstanding stud 9 which is provided with screw threads. A preferably rectangular block 10 is provided with a threaded opening receiving the stud 9 in such a manner that the block may be removed when desired. Opposite ends of the block are provided with rectangular recesses 11 which open through said ends and the upper side of the block, but do not open through the lower side of the block, being provided with solid bottoms 12 forming a pair of stops. A pair of oppositely extending arms 13 and 1 1 respectively are received at their inner ends in the recesses 11 and are pivoted to the block 10 by appropriate pins or the like 15 so that they may swing upwardly to the full line position shown in Fig. 5 or to the horizontal position shown in the other views, the bottoms 12 of the recesses 11 forming stops to prevent descent of. the arms beyond ahorizontal position.

A circular inking table 16 rests on the arm 13 and is rotatably connected to said arm by a bolt or the like 17 whose head is countersunk so that an ink roller may be passed over the table to ink the surface thereof whenever required. To prevent possible lateral tilting of the plate 16, the arm 13 is preferably equipped with oppositely extending branch arms 18 which are shown clearly in Fig. 11.

Secured by screws 19 or other appropr ate fasteners, to the upper side of arm 14, 1s :1 preferably rectangular platen or lmpression table 20 upon which the sheet of paper or card 21, upon which the finger print impressions are to be made, is supported. A guard plate 22 is disppsed over the table 20 and by means of a rod 23 or other suitable provision, said guard plate, is pivoted to the table at its rear edge so that it may swing upwardly whenever the paper or card 21 is to be removed or placed in position for use. The front edge of the guard plate 22 is bent downwardly at 24 in advance of the rounded front edge 25 of the table 20 and all edges of said guard plate, except that re-inforced by the rod 23, are preferably re-inforced by wire passing through a suitable bead 26. The portions of this bead at the ends of the guard plate 22 are adapted to engage with spring catches 27 carried by the table 20 for the purpose of holding said guard plate in lowered position so that the card or the like 21 will be exposed through the five openings 28 with which the front portion of the plate 22 is provided. With the card or paper held in this manner, the criminal or other person, whose finger prints are to be impressed on the card or papers 21, is instructed to press his thumb and fingers upon the inking plate 16 and to then press downwardly on the card or the like 21, through the openings 28, it being of course understood that the impressions aremade one at a time and that after the fingers of one hand have been impressed, the card or paper 21 is shifted so that prints of the other fingers may be taken.

For the purpose of holding the projecting front portions of the card or sheet of paper 21 rearwardly, so as to prevent it from being soiled or interfering with the impression taking operation I provide a novel holding means. A rock shaft 29 is rotatably and sli'dably mounted in a tubular bearing 30 carried by one end portion of the down turned plate end 24, the inner end of this rod being bent laterally to provide an arm 31 provided with an appropriate widened extremity 32 adapted to underlie the proj ecting front portion of the sheet or card 21 as shown in Figs. 6 and 7. The end of the rock shaft 29 opposite the arm 31, is directed laterally to provide an operating handle 33 which, when the arm 31 is swung to active position and the shaft 25 is shifted inwardly, is m'ovable into a slot 34 with which the outer end of the bearing 30 is provided. The shaft 29 V is thus locked against rotation so that the arm 31 is held in proper position.

From the foregoing, taken in connection wlth the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have provided a very simple, compact'and convenient device for obtaining the desired results. This device is no larger than its functions require and when it is not in .use it may be compactly folded, that is the arms 13 and 14 may be swung upwardly as shown in Fig. 5 so that the table 16 and table 20 are in closely spaced relation with each other and occupy but little room. Furthermore, if it should be desirable, the block 10 may be unthreaded from the head 8 and the standard 2 may be detached from the base 1, thereby permitting the device to be stored in extremely small space, for instance, in a desk or tabledrawer. Whenever its use is needed, the several parts of the device may be quickly assembled with ease. It may here be stated that afurther advantage of the folding and detachable features of the invention, is that it may well be carried from place to place in asuit case or the like, for use whenever necessary, the device therefore being well designed for detectives and other oflicers of the law, since they necessarily travel from place to place in the exercise of their duties.

Since excellent results may be obtained from the details disclosed, they are preferably followed. It is to be understood however, that within the scope of the invention as claimed, numerous minor changes may be made.

' I claim:

1. A finger print stand comprising a pedestal including an upright standard having a reduced screw-threaded extension on its upper end, a horizontally positioned block having a central threaded opening receivln said extension, 2 the opposite ends of sai block being provided with recesses opening only through'said ends and through the upper surface of the block, a pair of oppositely extending arms having their inner ends pivotally mounted in said recesses, said arms normally resting upon the bottoms of said recesses to retain them in horizontal positions, and means carried by said arms for use in taking finger prints.

2. A finger print stand comprising a standard, a pair of arms pivoted to and extending in opposite directions from the upper end of said standard, said arms being adapted to swing upwardly to vertical position from their normal horizontal relation-.

ship, stop means for limiting the downward swinging of said arms, an inking table mounted on one arm, and an impression table mounted on the other arm. 7

3. A finger print stand comprising a standard, an impression table supporte .by said standard, a guard plate pivoted tov said impression table and adapted to hold a card thereon, means for holding said guard plate in its lowered operative position, a pivotally mounted arm carried by the front end of said guard plate and adapted to force the front edge portion of the card rearwardly beneath said impression table, and means for operating said arm and holding the same in operative position. r

4. A finger print stand comprising a standard, an impression table supported by said standard, a guard plate pivoted to said impression table and adapted to hold a card thereon, means for holding said guard plate in its lowered operative position, a pivotally mounted arm carried by the front end of said guard plate and adapted to force the front edge portion of the card rearwardly beneath said impression table, a rock shaft carrying said arm, a bearing carried by the front end of said guard plate and receiving said shaft rotatably and slidably, and an operating handle extending from the rock shaft, said bearing having a slot to receive said handle when said arm is in operative position.

5. A device of the class described comprising an impression table, a guard plate at the upperside ofsaid table pivoted to the latter and adapted to swing downwardly to hold an impression card on the table, and means for holding said guard plate in lowered position, said plate being provided with five openings through which impressions are to be taken of the thumb and fingers, whereby they insure the proper positioning of the finger prints on the cards.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

EARL L. BURWELL. 

